The Beauty of a Rainbow
by Teruu
Summary: Before Seirin was Teiko, a Junior High with an extremely strong basketball club. There, six members made their debuts into the basketball world—the Generation of Miracles and their phantom sixth man. This is a story of their journeys through Teiko, one full of basketball, bad pranks, hidden secrets, promises and dreams, and their bonds with each other.
1. A Day Of Clear Blue Skies

**AN: **This was inspired by a Harry Potter fic that I read a long time ago, and since I love the Teiko boys, I decided to write this about them. There will be little to no Seirin unless I decide to continue this after the Teiko arc (not sure if I will yet), because as much as I like Seirin, the GOM are my favorites.

This follows the Teiko arc, so spoilers for the entire thing if you haven't read it. Also, of course, those of you who have read it know what happens already, but this story follows the path to get there rather than the end result. While all the main events will be there, however, I probably won't be copying word for word from the scanlations and new events will be added.

I hope you'll enjoy this.

* * *

**August: Before Teiko**

Kuroko Tetsuya stared up at the basketball hoop, wondering if there was a day when a ball that left his hands would go through the net. He had seen an NBA game on the television and found himself hooked with the sport. His mother, though slightly dubious at his chance of success, was nevertheless supportive with her son's new interest. She had gone to the store to buy him a new basketball, a sleek ball that he now held in his hands.

There weren't any basketball clubs for kids in the neighborhood, so Kuroko had been forced to practice by himself in the spare basketball court in the park. While sometimes he would get kicked off when older players wanted to use it, the court was generally empty for his use.

It also may or may not be because the court was rumored to be haunted.

It didn't surprise Kuroko. Ever since he was young, he had always had very little presence. Besides his parents, who were exposed to him every day and therefore had gotten used to it, not many people could spot him easily. Because of this, he didn't have very many friends, opting instead to stay in the background to observe rather than join in on the spotlight.

His mother had inquired once whether or not he was lonely, having no playmates. All her coworkers talked about the heaps of friends their children had come every day, and it made her worried that Kuroko was all alone. He had informed her that it was alright; the other kids, when they noticed him, treated him nicely, and besides, he wasn't much of a talker, anyways.

However, as he stared up at the empty hoop, he sort of wished he had a friend, or at least an acquaintance to play ball with. It was a little hard to play basketball by himself, and there was only so much shooting and missing a person could take.

Nonetheless, Kuroko was determined to become a good basketball player. He was aware of the less stamina he had compared to others—he chose to believe it was because he was out of shape from sitting around and just reading books, but his mother told him that it might continue to follow him no matter how hard he trained—so he decided to work extra hard to make up for it.

One time, they had an evaluation in gym to see how long it'd take each student to run half a mile. Kuroko, of course, had been trailing near the end and had to stop to catch his breath multiple times. The gym teacher had almost excused him from the exercise, but Kuroko had refused; he wanted to stand on equal ground with everyone without any special treatment.

A very tiring thirty minutes later, Kuroko managed to complete his half mile run. By then, most of the students had gone home, but it hadn't diminished the sense of accomplishment Kuroko had felt. He could see that the gym instructor hadn't expected him to finish, and when Kuroko was congratulated, he felt a lot happier than the person who had managed to complete the assignment in a mere two minutes.

His current mentality had begun there. Ever since that half mile run, Kuroko believed that no matter how talentless a person may be, hard work compensated for it. Nothing was impossible, not even to the weakest, because as long as they worked hard, they could accomplish anything.

There was no such thing as a useless effort.

As the ball hit the rim and bounced off for the millionth time, Kuroko let out a dejected sigh, but willed himself to keep at it. To be able to hit the rim, he reminded himself, was a huge accomplishment. When he first began two weeks ago, he had thrown up so many air balls that it had been almost embarrassing.

The hot sun shone down on his drenched body, the heat biting at his skin. It was mid-August, and school would be starting up once again in September. It was his last semester of elementary school before he entered middle school in April. His teachers had started recommending schools for the students to look at, but Kuroko still had no idea where he wanted to go. The only requirement he had was that he wanted to stay close to home.

He also hoped that the school had a good basketball program.

Kuroko dribbled the ball a couple of times, feeling the weight of it under his fingers. His dribbling had improved dramatically over the past few days. It was still not excellent, but it was much better than it had been before, and it was a long way ahead of his shooting. Those were the only two skills Kuroko had practiced. There was no way he could practice passing by himself.

Besides, Kuroko had great ambitions. He had seen the three point shots and layups on television. Scoring seemed like the most important skill in basketball. After all, if you couldn't score, how could you win? Passing came after that. A great passer can't win by himself.

Kuroko took a deep breath, and, having rested enough, looked up at the basket again. This time, he decided, he would try another layup. Theoretically, that shot had a higher rate of success than three point shots, anyway.

Kuroko moved to the basket, maintaining as much control over the ball as he could. When he neared the hoop, he jumped slightly, extending his arm so that the ball was sitting on his outstretched palm. He took a deep breath, praying that this time the ball would actually go in, and then let the ball release—

"Hey!"

Momentarily distracted, Kuroko fumbled slightly. He knew, the moment it left his hands, that the ball would not go in, and indeed it didn't. It hit the hoop with a clang before dropping uselessly to the ground.

Kuroko turned around and was surprised to see a boy staring directly at him. He was average height and had orange hair, brighter near the top and a dark shade near the bottom. He looked about Kuroko's age and wore a plain t-shirt with matching basketball shorts.

"Oops, sorry," the boy said, not looking very apologetic at all. He was grinning from ear to ear. "I didn't mean to distract you."

Kuroko blinked a couple of times. "You can see me?" The words fell out of his mouth before he could think them through.

The boy looked momentarily surprised, and then he laughed. "Yeah. I heard a rumor that there was something weird going on on this court a week ago, so I came to see. I couldn't see you well at first, but I've been watching you practice every day, so it's getting easier."

Kuroko didn't know whether to be flattered or scared that a random stranger had been watching him play—and not very well at that—for the past week without his knowledge.

The boy picked up the ball, which had rolled over to his foot, and grinned at Kuroko. "My name is Ogiwara Shigehiro. I'm eleven, and I love basketball!"

Kuroko stared at him for awhile, still rather surprised that the boy was conversing with him normally, before bending down into a respectful bow. "I'm Kuroko Tetsuya. I'm also eleven. It's very nice to meet you, Ogiwara-kun."

"You're so formal," Ogiwara laughed. He dribbled the ball a couple of times. "Did you just start playing basketball? I could tell from watching."

Kuroko blanched.

Ogiwara, upon seeing Kuroko's face, quickly backtracked. "That's not what I meant at all! It's just the beginners usually have difficulties with their shooting forms. That doesn't necessarily mean you're a bad player or anything." Ogiwara's face suddenly lit up. "Hey, want to play together? I don't go to school here, but it wouldn't be hard to come here every day to practice."

Kuroko blinked at him, a little surprised at the proposal. "Are you sure that's alright?"

"Of course! You looked lonely here by yourself, and I haven't found someone who practices so diligently like you to play against. It's a win-win situation for both of us!" Ogiwara suddenly stopped, reaching into his pocket to pull something out.

It was a buzzing phone. Ogiwara quickly opened it, scanning something written on the screen. "My mom says I have to go home now," he said. "Hey, Kuroko, do you have a phone? Let's exchange numbers so we can keep in touch."

"No, I don't."

Ogiwara's eyes widened. "You don't?! How do you live? How do you communicate with others that live far away?"

"I send them letters."

Ogiwara looked rather overwhelmed, but then a grin broke across his face. "That sounds cool. I haven't tried that one yet." Reaching into his pocket, he pulled out a scrap of paper and a pencil. Upon noticing Kuroko looking, he quickly explained, "I always carry these around in case of emergencies, like now."

He scribbled something down, and then handed it to Kuroko. "That's my address," he said. "We'll be seeing each other for awhile, but when school starts, it'll be harder to make time. We can communicate this way." Ogiwara's phone buzzed again, and he shot it a quick look. "Okay, I need to go now! I'll see you tomorrow, Kuroko!"

"Bye," Kuroko said, but the boy was already gone, sprinting away faster than anyone Kuroko had ever seen.

Kuroko glanced down at the slip of paper in his hand, and the pokerfaced kid felt a small smile appear from his usually impassive face.

August was the month of new friendships.

* * *

**September: Before Teiko**

"Kuroko! Try extending your right arm a little more! No, that's too much. You look like an airplane now."

Kuroko soon found out that Ogiwara's definition of 'playing together' mostly revolved around him teaching Kuroko. Since Ogiwara was much better than him, there were a lot of things that could be learned. Ogiwara didn't seem to mind either, and the two of them often practiced until the park closed every day.

They did send each other letters, though given the nature of letter sending, it usually took a couple of days before the mail arrived. And since the two of them saw each other every day anyways, it was not really convenient to talk about everyday activities on paper when they could meet face to face.

However, Kuroko had still insisted on maintaining an exchange, so they talked about deeper things in their letters. Things that wouldn't really come up during a basketball practice. It, of course, had not been a smooth ride, as other than basketball, their interests differed greatly. Kuroko enjoyed a life of solitude while Ogiwara loved socializing. It was hard to find a topic to suite both of them.

However, when it came to the love of basketball, neither of them lost to each other. Ogiwara, as it turned out, started basketball just a couple of months before Kuroko did, but it was hard to tell with their difference of skills. However, Ogiwara never once looked down on Kuroko and instead admired his friend for preserving through all the difficulties.

One day, Kuroko sat on the bench next to the basketball court with his ball in his lap. Ogiwara was running a little late, which wasn't surprising; there was quite a distance between his hometown and Kuroko's.

Kuroko had suggested for him to only come on weekends, but Ogiwara had refused, stating that it was not trouble for him to come every day, and he wouldn't miss practice with Kuroko for anything. The latter, though he never said it, was secretly glad at Ogiwara's response. They had been practicing together so often recently that Kuroko couldn't remember when he had to practice by himself.

A cool object pressed against Kuroko's cheek, and he instinctively flinched away from the cold. Turning around, he saw Ogiwara grinning, holding two popsicles in his hands. He held one out for Kuroko, who gladly accepted it.

"Sorry I'm running late. It's still a little hot out, so I went to buy some popsicles from the nearby convenience store. It took awhile, though, because they thought I stole the money. _Stole_? Do I look like someone capable of stealing anything?"

Kuroko smiled, but didn't say anything. He knew that that was a rhetorical question that wasn't meant to be answered.

"I can't even steal my brother's stuff when he's sleeping! How do you think I'm supposed to take a wallet out of someone's bag? They'd see me right away!" He stopped, pondering slightly. "Though, Kuroko, you'd be great at that, don't you think? They'd never even know it's missing."

Kuroko frowned. "It's not good to steal."

"I _know_ that, of course! It was just hypothetical." Ogiwara took a moment to open his popsicle; Kuroko did the same. "Did you have any luck with it?"

Kuroko shook his head. It was last week when he brought up the fact of his low presence. While it may be good for scoring, as no one could stop him, it seemed hard to catch a pass from an invisible person.

Ogiwara had suggested to try and boost his presence, making him do all kinds of ridiculous acts that would draw others' attentions to him. It had worked fine initially, and Kuroko was often very embarrassed, but after awhile in the spotlight, he would fade again.

"Well," Ogiwara said after a long silence. "Why don't you try regarding it in a positive light? If you can't get rid of it, why don't you try using it to your advantage?"

"How?"

Ogiwara had no answer to that.

Kuroko sighed, but feeling bad for dragging his friend into his own personal business, he quickly changed the topic. "How is school? Are you busy?"

Ogiwara's face instantly lit up. "It's good! Great, in fact! I've read all the books you recommended to me!"

Kuroko stared. "Really?"

"No, of course I haven't," Ogiwara said, unashamed at his lie. However, Kuroko had grown used to this aspect of him and simply ignored it whenever it appeared. "But I did read some. My teacher thought the world was ending. You should've seen her. 'Ogiwara Shigehiro, is that a _book_ I see in your hands?! Oh dear, are you feeling feverish?'"

Kuroko was rather bemused at Ogiwara's attempt to imitate his teacher. "Did you enjoy them?"

"Some of them. Others were just weird, though I finished them because people thought I was smart if I read books during my free time. So, suddenly, I was a genius even though I still failed most of my exams."

"No you didn't."

"Nah, if I did, my mom would have my head and I wouldn't be here talking to you. I get decent grades, but nowhere near genius level." Ogiwara shrugged. "They continued it, though, until a girl named Kana told them that it's possible for me to read and _not_ being a genius. So now, Kana's the genius of the class for figuring that out."

"I'm very sorry. I know that title meant a lot to you," Kuroko said, smiling slightly.

Ogiwara huffed. "What about you, Kuroko? Anything interesting with your life?"

"Not really. I did finish another book, though. If you want, I can give it to you."

"No! Please don't. I'm done with books for a lifetime." Ogiwara slid down on the bench so his body was almost parallel to the ground. "Is that all that goes on with your life?"

"I'm focusing on basketball at the moment, so I don't have time for much else."

Upon hearing the word, Ogiwara instantly perked up. "Well, it's showing! You've gotten much better, Kuroko! You're improving so quickly! Almost as quickly as me!"

"Please don't be so humble."

Ogiwara laughed, throwing his empty popsicle bag in the trash. Kuroko did the same. "Come on. Let's practice, then." His eyes were shining. "I saw the Japanese national team on television the other day. They were so cool! Hey, Kuroko, let's play together on that team one day, okay?"

"Okay," Kuroko smiled, joining his friend on the basketball court.

"We'll be the best in Japan!"

"Yes."

"And we'll be the aces and led the team to victory! Afterwards, they'll hand us the trophies and we'll stand on the podium and—"

"Ogiwara-kun, please stop talking."

"...sorry."

September was the month of promises.

* * *

**October: Before Teiko**

Two months of practicing later, Kuroko Tetsuya made his first consecutive shots.

"Kuroko! You did it!" Ogiwara whooped from his spot next to the bench. Kuroko, though not as vocal, was equally excited, clenching his fist and allowing a proud smile on his face as a feeling of accomplishment surged through him.

Ogiwara launched himself at his friend, and the two of them ended on the ground, tangled up in a mountain of arms and legs. It took some time for Kuroko to break free, as the other boy was taller and heavier than he was, but he managed to do it after some effort.

The two of them lay on the court, not even bothering to get up. Ogiwara, Kuroko was sure, had fallen asleep, his breaths evening out—quiet, unlike his usual boisterous personality. That left Kuroko alone to ponder over his thoughts.

He had made consecutive shots, but he was still far from being a good basketball player. Comparing the amount of shots he made to the amount of shots he missed, no sane coach would allow him to play in games.

He had to get better. Two consecutive shots were nothing to be proud of. Ogiwara could do it with his eyes closed.

But, for now, Kuroko allowed himself to feel proud that against the odds, he had managed to accomplish such a feat.

"Hey, Kuroko?" Ogiwara didn't move, instead keeping his eyes glued on the sky. "I looked it up when I got home. The national basketball tournament takes place every two years. That means we can play next year!"

"Do you think they'll let us play?" They were, after all, two eleven year olds.

"If they won't let us play, then we'll just have to make them let us!" Ogiwara announced proudly.

It was at that moment that Kuroko realized why he and Ogiwara got along so well. They both valued the merits of hard work and the accomplishments that it entailed. They both weren't particularly talented at basketball, but they had managed to get up to their current skill levels through perseverance and determination.

"Let's work hard, Kuroko!" Ogiwara exclaimed, sitting up and reaching over to help his friend up. "There's no time to be slacking! If you have time to be resting, you better be running laps!"

Kuroko smiled at his friend's failed attempt to sound like a strict coach and allowed himself to be helped up.

"But," Ogiwara stopped to ponder. "We'll need positions, won't we? Hmmm. Kuroko, have any ideas?" Kuroko shook his head. "Well, we can definitely cross out the Center position. We both don't have the proper build for that."

Kuroko imagined himself playing Center and the only scenario his mind could come up with was him being elbowed and knocked down dozens of times. While he could probably get a few fouls the first couple of times, he definitely couldn't keep it up the whole game, and he didn't think his body could stand the rough inside play.

"That just leaves four positions," Ogiwara concluded. "Kuroko, have you thought about playing as a point guard? You're getting really good at passing and you seem to have a good view of what's going on."

Kuroko had noticed, after starting to practice passing, that it came to him a lot easier than shooting. While he still wanted to score points—albeit he wasn't very good at it—he realized that there was something thrilling about sending a pass to the right place.

However, of course, it would be very different in a match. There would be players guarding him. With his small stature, it would be hard to get the ball into his teammates' hands. Just seeing the court wasn't enough; he had to have the skill to execute his plans.

"What about you, Ogiwara-kun?" Kuroko asked. Ogiwara, unlike him, was much better at shooting. Kuroko had noticed, amused, that Ogiwara could score effectively in a hoop so small, yet when aiming for a person to pass to, he was rather off target.

"I'll be the ace, of course!" Ogiwara grinned. "You know the one who gets 50 points a game and caries his team to victory? That'll be me."

"An ace isn't a position," Kuroko pointed out.

"Can't you let a boy dream?" Ogiwara sniffed. "Fine, I'll be an ace _and_ a power forward! How's that? I'll shoot all these crazy shots from all over the court that'll leave the audience completely stunned!"

"You'll be the best ace, Ogiwara-kun," Kuroko said.

Ogiwara beamed at him, before stealing the ball in his hands and putting it in the basket. "Alright, then! Now that that's taken care of, it's hard work and sweat! No slacking off, Kuroko! I'm not going to wait up for you!"

October was the month of dream and ambitions.

* * *

**November: Before Teiko**

Kuroko knew there was something wrong when Ogiwara was later than usual. Even if he had gone to buy popsicles, he should've been here a long time ago. It was one of the only times that Kuroko really regretted not having a cell phone. He could always go home and send a letter, of course, but that would take awhile, and by the time it reached Ogiwara's home, Kuroko would've seen him—hopefully—at least once in person.

An hour ticked by.

Two hours.

Kuroko dribbled a basketball idly, telling himself that he should probably be practicing even if Ogiwara wasn't here. However, his heart wasn't in it, and none of the shots he was showing up seemed to be going in.

It had been awhile since he had last been on this court by himself.

Kuroko was deciding whether or not to go home—it was almost dinner time, after all—when he heard the sound of footsteps behind him. Happily, he spun around, clutching the ball in his hands. However, the smile soon slid off his face when he saw his friend staring at the ground, no trace of the energetic boy he had gotten to know over the past few months.

"Ogiwara-kun?" Kuroko said hesitatingly, as he approached his friend. The other boy, at least, didn't look like he had been injured. "Are you okay?"

Ogiwara shifted slightly, his eyes still cast downwards. "You know how I said we'd play together on the National Team?" Kuroko nodded, unsure where this was going. "It looks like that won't be happening anymore."

Kuroko blinked as his friend finally met his eyes. There was no sign of excitement usually present on his face. "Why?" Kuroko asked, stepping closer. "Are you injured? Did you hurt yourself during our last practice?"

"What? No. My parents got a new job, and I..." Ogiwara took a deep breath. "I...I'mmovingnextweek."

"...what?"

"I'm moving next week."

"Moving where?"

"Away." Catching the look Kuroko was giving him, Ogiwara quickly amended his statement. "It'll be pretty far. I won't be able to come here anymore after school. We probably won't be seeing each other for awhile."

Ogiwara still looked very upset. "It's okay," Kuroko said. "I'm just glad you're not hurt and kept from playing sports indefinitely."

"You're not mad?"

"Why would I be mad? The National Team will wait for us. If we can't go next year, we can go sometime in the future," Kuroko smiled. "Meanwhile, we can continue to train and get stronger."

"I...I guess you're right." Ogiwara seemed a little happier, though there was still a look of uncertainty on his face. "I'm sorry for dumping this on you, Kuroko. I was just upset when my parents told me so suddenly. I just wanted to continue playing with you through middle school."

"I know. I did too."

Ogiwara took a deep breath, and then plastered a look of determination on his face. "That means that next time we meet on the court, we'll be enemies!"

"Yes," Kuroko said. "I won't lose."

"Neither will I! You just watch, Kuroko! I'll wow you with all my amazing shots!" Ogiwara grinned. "That's our new promise! Let's stand across from each other on the court one day and play a nice game!"

"Yes."

"I won't break this promise."

"You're not breaking the other one either. It's just on hold."

"Work hard at your middle school, Kuroko! And I'll work hard too and become a regular! And when we face off, I won't go easy on you!" Ogiwara extended his hand. "Let's shake on it."

They shook.

November was the month of farewells.

* * *

**December-March: Before Teiko**

Kuroko soon realized that for all the bravado he spouted, internally, he was a puddle of mess. It had been a lot easier to act when he knew that he had to be happy and positive in front of Ogiwara.

A month passed, and then two. Every day, Kuroko returned to the basketball court, as if hoping against all hope that Ogiwara would suddenly pop up one day and announce that the whole thing had been a joke.

That never happened.

Kuroko was now glad that he had begun a tradition of letter sending. At least this way, the two of them were still communicating. The mail took awhile to send, now that the distance between them had grown, but Ogiwara always responded as quickly as possible.

He described his new life to Kuroko. He had met some other basketball loving kids in the neighborhood and could now play a full game. He invited Kuroko over, but since it was so close to his elementary school graduation, his mother refused.

They made plans for the next break, but that was still so far away.

Ogiwara also mentioned that he had enrolled in Meiko Junior High, a school with a decent basketball program. He had asked Kuroko if he had chosen where he wanted to attend middle school, but he hadn't.

At least, not until he noticed the pamphlet on his mother's desk one morning.

"Oh, that?" His mother had said when Kuroko asked about it. "That's Teiko Junior High. My friend's daughter graduated from there last year and I've been meaning to show it to you, but it keeps slipping my mind."

Kuroko stared at it. They apparently had a literary club, which he wanted to join, and their basketball team seemed to be strong. It was also not too far from his house. It didn't seem to be a bad choice.

His mother glanced at him. "Are you interested? I can enroll you. My friend said it was a decent school, and I wouldn't mind you attending there. You'll have to walk home every day, though. Your father and I won't have time to pick you up."

After a couple of days of filling out forms and getting all his medical history and profile update to date, Kuroko found himself with a junior high to attend.

Teiko Junior High.

* * *

**April: Teiko Year One**

It was a day of such clear blue skies that it was hard to believe that it was spring.

Kuroko clutched his book as he maneuvered through the crowd of new students. At times like these, he was grateful for his little presence. No one noticed him and allowed him to walk freely without any disturbances.

The clubs seemed to be recruiting as the members stood in front of the front entrance, flashing signs with catching slogans and colorful pictures. Kuroko ignored all of them. He did not want to sign up for a club that he wasn't planning to go to anyway.

Steering his way through the crowd, Kuroko accidently bumped into a taller figure. Without looking up from his reading, he quickly muttered a 'pardon me' as he continued his way through the crowd. He missed the look the other boy shot him, blinking at the spot Kuroko had stood in before.

"What is it, Dai-chan?"

"No, it's just...ah, whatever."

Behind him stood a green haired man, pushing up his glasses irritably as he was assaulted with yet another sign. "You misunderstand," he said. "This is a phone book."

"That's quite alright. Phone books are books too!" The club member suddenly blinked. "Wait, why are you carrying around a phone book?!"

"It's my lucky item," the man said.

Next to the entrance stood a purple haired boy who looked almost taller than the school gates. He held a bag of chips in his hand and munched on them, his eyes drooping. He let out a loud yawn as people flocked around him.

"Whoa, you're huge!"

"Amazing!"

"How tall are you?"

A pamphlet was thrust into his hands, the highest part of his body that the others could reach. The purple haired boy glanced at it lazily.

"You got to join the volleyball club!" Someone said. "Imagine playing with your height! We'd definitely win!"

"Ehhh, I dunno, maybe. But it's such a pain..."

Next to him was a shorter man, though with no less presence. "Hey, hey, isn't that guy over there really good looking?" A girl whispered, pointing towards the blonde man who found himself already surrounded by girls.

"Wow, he totally is!"

And outside the school gates, a chauffeur parked the car as he let his passenger out. "Your father wants me to see you to the school gates," the chauffeur protested.

"My father has nothing to do with this. Doing something like this every morning makes one stand out. People will laugh," the red haired boy said. "...at least let me have my freedom at school."

In front of the school's front doors, Kuroko Tetsuya stood. All the other freshmen were still milling around in the ocean of clubs, so he was the first one here. Taking a deep breath, he pushed the door open and took his first step into Teiko Junior High.

April was the month of beginnings.

And that's where this story begins.

* * *

The only thing I kind of changed was the date of Kuroko's and Ogiwara's meeting. I'm pretty sure they met much earlier, but as I wanted to keep this short, I moved it up so it's closer to Kuroko's entrance to Teiko.

This was an obligatory Ogiwara chapter, so I apologize if it may seem slow and tedious. The next chapter will be Teiko, so hopefully it'll pick up from there.


	2. The Generation of Miracles

** April: Teiko Year One (Day One)**

Kuroko Tetsuya's first day at Teiko passed without much of an incident.

In the morning, he had received a letter from Ogiwara. It was right outside his room when he went out. No doubt his mother had left it there before she left for work. He didn't quite have time to read it at home, so he brought it with him to school and read it while the other students were outside surveying the clubs.

_Hey Kuroko! How are you doing? Have you already joined a club? Of course, I joined the basketball club! Let's both work hard so we can play in matches and fulfill our promise!_

On the bottom right corner of the letter, a small basketball was quickly drawn. Though its design was quite simple, Kuroko couldn't help but smile as he imagined Ogiwara scribbling it on last minute as he ran to the post office.

Kuroko reread the letter one more time before slipping it back into the envelope and placing it back into his bag. "Of course," he said quietly, though there was no one around to hear him. "I, too, will join the basketball club."

With that in mind, Kuroko headed to class.

The teacher, as he had expected, didn't notice him at first. He had almost been marked absent, and when he went up to the front of the room to inform the teacher that he, in fact, was there, she nearly had a heart attack.

He felt bad for scaring her. She turned out to be a very nice lady, trying to help the students get situated into their new lives as junior high students. Her name was Yoshida, and after being told of Kuroko's lack of presence, she made an extra effort to include him.

Even though Kuroko knew that she did so partly because of it was her job, it still felt nice to be noticed once in awhile. Perhaps that was why he liked Ogiwara so much; he had been the first one to notice Kuroko in a long time.

The other students tried to include him as well, but for a much different reason than Yoshida's. They thought that the boy who seemed to be able to disappear at will was very amusing. They got him to disappear several times, squealing in delight every time it worked.

Kuroko didn't mind, at least, not at first. However, there was a certain amount of standing up and walking away that a person could take. Afterwards, when they started to see him better and lost interest in him, Kuroko found himself grateful for the lack of attention once again.

For lunch, the classroom became crowded as friends from other classes poured into his own to eat. It seemed that his class, Class 1-E, was the designated cafeteria of the year. After one of the students from the other class almost sat on him, Kuroko quickly grabbed his lunch and fled to a more secluded area.

The library would be quiet enough, Kuroko decided. Clutching the homemade lunch his mother had made for him in one hand, he took a shortcut through the courtyard. He had visited the school with his mother just the week before, so he more or less knew the layout of the entire school.

A movement caught his eye. There was a boy walking the opposite direction, and as he drew closer, Kuroko could see how tall he really was. Kuroko barely reached up to his chest, and the word 'titan' immediately came to mind.

The boy had purple hair and didn't seem to notice Kuroko, instead focusing all his energy on the pile of snacks in his arms. Kuroko step sided to allow him to pass, because there was no doubt that the boy would've just barreled through and crushed him.

Suddenly, Kuroko felt bad for all the ants and spiders he had accidently stepped on in his lifetime.

As the two passed each other, Kuroko could hear the boy mumbling to himself. "Should I buy more? But I already have so much." There was a silence. "I still have some money, but Mom will get angry if I come home with no money again. What should I do?" The boy pondered for awhile. "Maybe if I run up the stairs, Mom won't notice me."

Kuroko glanced over. Was the boy talking about buying more candy? But that couldn't be it, right? He already had a pile of sweets in his arms. Kuroko wouldn't have been able to finish everything, even if he had been given a month.

However, as the boy ripped off the candy wrapper and stuffed an entire chocolate bar into his mouth, Kuroko realized the two of them differed in every way possible.

Pushing the tall boy out of his mind, Kuroko hurried off to the library. It was mostly quiet, as none of the students had any homework to do on the first day of the year. Kuroko technically wasn't supposed to be there himself, as the library had a rather strict policy of 'no eating in the library,' but none of the librarians even looked up when he walked in.

Kuroko sat down on one of the tables in the back. Aside from him and the librarians, there was only one other person in the room. Kuroko glanced over. He had red hair and looked about Kuroko's height. He was bent over a piece of paper, scribbling down notes. Next to him, a large book lay open. From his viewpoint, Kuroko couldn't read what the book was about.

Catching himself staring, Kuroko quickly went back to his own activities. He ate quietly, spooning tiny portions of his food into his mouth, as he pulled out a sheet of paper. He would finish writing a letter to Ogiwara and would place it in the post office mailbox on his way home.

Grabbing his pencil, Kuroko quickly focused in on his letter as he let everything on his mind out. In contrast in Ogiwara's life, Kuroko's was rather quiet and boring, but he used his observational skills to spice up his letters. He wrote about everything he noticed. How Yoshida had a habit of wringing her hands as she talked. How the boy who sat behing Kuroko snored quietly during class.

Kuroko was so engrossed in writing that he didn't notice the crimson red eyes that flickered over and watched him.

* * *

**April: Teiko Year One (Day Two)**

The second day, like its predecessor, was quite ordinary, but Kuroko couldn't help but tremble in excitement, keeping his eyes glued on the clock as he counted the hours—and later, the minutes, down.

Today was the first day of clubs, which meant he could play basketball in a real club on a real time for the first time. He had Ogiwara's letters, of course, to tell him how it felt like, but there was nothing more amazing than being on a team yourself.

Kuroko ran to the gym as soon as the bell rang. Though he was not fast, by any means, he had the advantage of being able to slip easily through the crowds of people as they came out of their classrooms.

However, by the time he got to the gym, he found it completely packed. There was at least a couple hundred people crowded, whispering among each other. They were all dressed in basketball shorts and t-shirts, and most of them were at least half a head taller than Kuroko.

Kuroko stared around the room for awhile, before turning to the guy that was standing next to him. "Excuse me. Are the people here all trying to become members in the basketball club?"

The guy jumped, as Kuroko had expected. "Whoa! You surprised me!"

He was quiet, as if waiting for Kuroko to say something. An apology? Kuroko didn't know. When Kuroko didn't, the guy continued. "Yeah, they are. You didn't know? If you were in a basketball club, you should've heard of this school."

"I've never been in a club," Kuroko said quietly, but the boy either didn't hear him, or he didn't care, because Kuroko was ignored.

"This school's basketball club is incredible and has won the championship many times," the boy said, a prideful glint in his eyes. "The school's slogan is '100 matches, 100 victories.' Cool, huh? Imagine waving that motto around."

Kuroko nodded. He may have underestimated how good the school was. However, before he could say anything, the room fell silent. Shuffling around, Kuroko maneuvered himself to a position where he could see the front of the room. A stern looking man with glasses stood at the front, his eyes sweeping over the room.

"Welcome to the Teiko Middle School Basketball Club," the man said, his loud voice easily carrying through the otherwise silent gym. "If you want to play basketball here, you must engrain one thing into your mind: victory. Achieving victory is the premise of this club. Anyone who is not serious about this should go find another club."

The man paused, as if waiting for people to leave. No one did.

"To those of you remaining, you must be prepared for extremely difficult training! Before we begin, we'll begin by grouping you by class and testing you. We'll use the results of the test to put you into the first through third strings."

Kuroko had been expecting some sort of tryout, and this came as no surprise to him. What _was_ surprising, though, was the fact that they took the effort to make sure everyone was able to play, even creating the lower strings. Ogiwara had told him that in his school, there was only a first string and a second string, and everyone who didn't make it into those two categories would be forced to give up basketball.

Though, then again, Kuroko hadn't been expecting so many people, so his image of the Teiko basketball club was obviously quite faulty.

"You'll only be able to play in matches as a regular if you're in the first string. Therefore, I'll be asking any newbies who are late and therefore not here at the moment to be joining the third string.

"You will be tested periodically. Therefore, those of you in the second and third strings should not give up and continue working hard with the goal of being promoted. That is all!"

The man nodded to a couple of people standing near the doorway, and they immediately began spreading themselves out around the gym. Each one of them was holding a sign that said one of the five classes.

Kuroko was about to head over to the sign that said 'class 1-E', but paused a little when he overheard some people talking in front of him.

"You know, apparently there's never been a freshman who's made the first string on the first try. And I heard that the upperclassmen this year are especially strong."

"Are you serious? Then, at best, it's the second string?" The boy looked slightly disappointed. "Well, let's aim for second string, then, and try to get promoted."

"Let's do our best."

Kuroko stared at their backs as they left to go to their respective classes. If the best the freshmen could get was the second string, then he wouldn't be able to play in matches. He would have to work hard, then, harder than anyone else, if he wanted to keep his promise with Ogiwara.

Mentally pepping himself up, Kuroko headed over to the 'Class 1-E' group.

* * *

Outside of the gym, unbeknownst to everyone inside, a blonde boy was walking along the path home. His eyes drooped lazily as he looked around for something, _anything_, interesting for him to do. Upon finding none, he gave a tired sigh and started trudging along when he heard loud noises coming from his right.

He turned around to look. It was a gym, and they seemed to be doing some sort of activity. The doors were closed, so he couldn't see what kind of sport it was, and he didn't want to be caught pressing his nose against the windows, trying to see what they were doing.

Besides, he, quite frankly, didn't care.

"Wow, they sure sound like they're having fun," he mumbled to himself. The people walking around him gave him funny looks, but he paid them no mind. "I wonder what club that is? Maybe it's basketball? But it could also be volleyball. Or maybe soccer. But they don't play soccer indoors, do they?" A pause. "Maybe I should join a sports club too."

The boy stared at the gym, as if debating whether or not to closer to the building. In the end, he chose not to, sighing once again as he turned his back to the gym. "But no matter what I try, it'll end up being easy for me anyway. And besides, Sis said that the modeling agency she sent my pictures to called back yesterday..."

And with that, the boy walked away, the gym and the sport being played inside long gone from his mind.

* * *

Kuroko stood in the back of the gym, panting. A #31 name tag was taped to his t-shirt, though even that was almost falling off from the amount of sweat he was producing. The man in the beginning hadn't been kidding when he said that practices were hard.

He wasn't performing his best, and he could see from the Coach's face that his opinion of Kuroko was quite low. When he played with Ogiwara, both of them were aware that Kuroko's stamina was not very high, so they made sure to take breaks often and keep themselves hydrated. Here, at Teiko, the tryouts went on without him. Time that he took trying to catch his breath was time lost to try and prove himself to the coach.

Kuroko could see that he was giving off a rather bad impression. He was not the fastest. He was not the best passer or the best shooter. He did not give off a strong, intimidating aura. He was, to put it simply, quite average in this group of players. It was easy to simply pass over him.

Not to mention, all of the players who wanted to join the club were better than Ogiwara. Kuroko already had his lack of presence, but playing with these excellent people, his skills were only further diminished.

When the coach informed them that the test was now over and told them to go back and rejoin the main group, Kuroko wasn't feeling too well. Not only had he pushed himself too hard that he almost wanted to just curl up and sleep on the floor, but he didn't think that the coach liked him too much.

Kuroko trudged slowly to the big group of people waiting in the middle of the gym, feeling that his legs might give out underneath him at any moment. He turned around every so often, as if expecting his sweat to leave a huge puddle behind him. It didn't help that the large number of people in the gym contributed to the heat.

As he was waiting, Kuroko could hear two people conversing next to him. "There was a guy in my group," one of the guys whispered. "He was _so_ good. I don't know how he does it. One minute you think you have him trapped, but then he just _dribbles_ and manages to get past you. He's so fast, too. I heard he almost broke the school mile record yesterday during gym."

"Yeah? Well, I had this guy in my group who just wouldn't miss his shots. I counted about fifteen three-pointers that all went in. It's hard for me to even shoot three consecutive ones without missing, and he hardly batted an eye at fifteen! _Fifteen!_ That's forty-five points!"

The two of them continued to gossip about the supposedly two amazing individuals that had been in their group until a coach, different from the one that had spoken in the beginning, went up to the front of the gym. Everyone immediately quieted down.

"I'll announce the result of the test now. I'm going to start from the third string, so if you hear your name called, please go over to the third string coach over there."

The third string coach had dark hair, and unlike the coach who had spoke at before the tryouts began, he didn't look as strict. Well, Kuroko supposed that was only natural; the school only valued winning, and only the first string contributed to that. The third string members were basically just practice members playing for fun, and maybe trying to get promoted.

The man started to rattle off a list of names. "Number two, Saitou Nobuo. Number four..."

This went on for awhile, and Kuroko kept his fingers crossed. All people who took the test made it into one of the three strings, the coach had informed them. That meant that Kuroko wanted to hear his name called as late as possible.

"...Futoshi. Number twenty-eight, Shimada Shunsuke. Number thirty-nine, Tanaka Jun. And..."

Kuroko squeezed his eyes shut, praying to whoever was listening that he would make it through to at least the second string.

"Number thirty-one, Kuroko Tetsuya. That is all."

There was a hollow ringing in his ears and his name seemed to echo again and again. He could faintly here the sound of the coach moving onto the second string, and the people around him celebrating that they had managed to avoid the third string.

Kuroko gave a sigh and a small smile. '_Oh well,_' he thought to himself. '_What is done is done.'_

Ogiwara's letter flashed into his mind, and he frowned slightly.

Kuroko dragged himself over to the third string group. There was a guy spewing words out endlessly, looking far too happy for someone who had just been put in the lowest group. The other players didn't seem to be in the mood to talk to him, but he persisted, smiling at everyone and trying to get them to grin back at him.

He was all over the place and he ended up tripping over Kuroko's foot and falling face flat to the floor. Kuroko's eyes widened and he quickly bent down to help the boy up. However, to his amazement, the boy was still grinning even though there was a big red mark on his forehead.

"Hey! I didn't see you at all!" He accepted Kuroko's hand and allowed himself to be pulled up. "I'm number thirty-nine! Tanaka Jun! Nice to meet you! What's your name?"

In a way, Tanaka reminded Kuroko quite a bit of Ogiwara. Both of them were an endless bundle of energy, jumping all over the place with silly grins plastered on their faces. Kuroko found himself smiling slightly, despite his previous disappoint at not qualifying for a higher string.

"Kuroko Tetsuya," he introduced himself. "It's very nice to meet you, Tanaka-kun."

Tanaka frowned, looking deep in thought. He remained still for so long that Kuroko almost thought he had frozen into a statue. But, as Kuroko was debating whether or not to poke him to see whether or not he was still alive, Tanaka sprung back to life.

"Did you know," Tanaka said slowly and dramatically. "That if you spell your name backwards, you get Ayustet Okoruk?"

Kuroko blinked. That certainly hadn't been what he was expecting.

"My name backwards is Nuj Akanat, by the way," Tanaka continued cheerfully. "It's kind of cool, isn't it? And that guy, over there, his name is Shimada Shunsuke. His name backwards is—"

"Tanaka, shut up."

Tanaka pretended that he hadn't heard him. "What class are you in, Kuro-chan?"

Kuroko frowned slightly at the rather weird suffix, but chose not to comment on it. "I'm in Class 1-E."

"Whoa! Same! Yoshi-chan's class, right? I didn't see you at all, though! You're like, a ghost or something. Or maybe a ninja. Those are cooler, right?" A pause. "No _way!_ You're that ghost boy, aren't you?!"

"Please call her Yoshida-sensei. It's rude to call her otherwise," Kuroko said bluntly. He didn't quite care what others called him, but he still felt that proper respect had to be given to those older.

"Ehhh, it's okay. Yoshi-chan doesn't mind."

It wasn't really a matter of whether or not she _minded_, and Kuroko was going to tell him so, when the guy named Shimada Shunsuke shushed them, nudging his head towards the coach. It seemed that he had finished announcing the second string members.

Surprisingly, four players still stood in the middle of the gym. Did that mean that they were not able to qualify even for the third string?

Kuroko recognized one of the guys standing there. It was the purple haired candy-loving titan that he had passed by in the courtyard. So that guy played basketball, too. Kuroko couldn't help but feel slightly envious at how tall the guy was. Basketball was a sport where height correlated to success.

"Next," the coach said. Everyone was staring at the four players, as if wondering if they were going to be punished or be forced to run laps. "I'll announce the first string members."

"EH?!" Tanaka yelled, earning him a punch in the side from Shimada. However, luckily for Tanaka, the other players were too busy gaping at the coach to even notice his rather loud yell.

"Did he just say 'first string'?"

"No way! I thought there'd never been a freshmen who had made first string on the first try before."

The coach rattled off four names. "Number thirty-eight, Aomine Daiki. Number eleven, Midorima Shintarou. Number twenty-three, Murasakibara Atsushi. Number twenty-nine, Akashi Seijuro. The four of you will be joining the first string from today onwards."

And that was the day the Generation of Miracles was born.

* * *

**April: Teiko Year One (Day Three)**

"No, I don't want your food, Satsuki. Do you want me to die?"

"You're so mean, Aomine-kun!" Momoi Satsuki huffed, trying to thrust her homemade food into his arms. Aomine Daiki quickly jumped out of the way and headed towards the roof with his childhood friend tailing him. "I spent all night making this for you!"

"My condolences to your mom for having to put up with that."

"What was that?"

"Nothing." Aomine glanced over his shoulder at her. "Why are you calling me Aomine-kun? It's weird. Stop it."

"Eh? But if I call you Dai-chan, people are going to talk!"

"So let them talk. Who cares?"

Momoi huffed, but had no sufficient counterargument for that. Aomine plopped himself onto the ground and Momoi sat next to him, a routine they had had ever since they were little kids. The two of them always ended up eating lunch together. Momoi, though she would never admit it out loud, was kind of glad that she and Aomine had gone to the same middle school. It was nice to see a familiar face.

"Anyway, congratulations on getting into the first string!" Momoi smiled. She had looked it up, and the fact that Teiko's basketball club was extremely strong was not exactly a secret. However, she had never had any doubt that her friend wouldn't make the team. She had watched him play since they were younger, and it was obvious, even to her untrained eye, that he was exceptional.

"Thanks." Aomine sat up, significantly more interested in this topic than he had about her food. Momoi had long figured out that the easiest way to make him do something was to bring basketball into the topic. Aomine was such a basketball fan that Momoi didn't think there was anything else in his head.

"What do you think of the other players that made it into the first string?" Momoi said, discretely pushing her lunchbox out of sight. She had thought to make it for him as a congratulation gift for making it into the first string, but no matter how hard she tried, her food was still black and disgusting. And now that Aomine's mood seemed much better, she decided that offering it again would only sully it.

"They're all great. We didn't really have a chance to talk that much, but I did get their names. Akashi, Murasakibara and Midorima."

Momoi smiled to herself as Aomine talked rapidly. It was unusual for Aomine to memorize a name after the first meeting. Usually, it took two or three meetings for him to match names to faces. The fact that Aomine was talking about them so easily symbolized how much he respected the other three players.

"Akashi is the point guard, Murasakibara is the center, and Midorima is the shooting guard. And I'm the power forward, of course." Aomine grinned proudly. "I heard that the power forward on the team is really good. Apparently, he got made a captain already, and he's only in his second year! I didn't have a chance to meet him yesterday, but I'll see him later."

Aomine glanced over at her. "You're in Class 1-D, right? That's the same class as Murasakibara?" Momoi nodded. "What's he like? I heard he face planted the door frame on his way in on the first day."

"Not exactly face planting, but he did bump his head slightly." Momoi thought of the purple giant in her class, trying to remember anything special she could tell Aomine. "He really likes candy and sweets. And, despite his looks, he acts pretty childishly." Momoi paused, and then added, "I don't think you two will get along very well."

Aomine blinked at her. "Why not? If you still think that I—"

"It has nothing to do with that," Momoi interrupted him before he no doubt spouted some nonsense and embarrassed himself again. "It's just that...he really doesn't like basketball."

Aomine froze, as if he heard the most life changing statement. And perhaps he had. After all, to him, not liking basketball was a crime. Not liking it and playing it was a crime. And not liking it and playing it and being _so good at it_ was the biggest crime in his books.

"What do you mean, he doesn't like basketball? Did he specifically tell you that?"

"Well, no," Momoi fidgeted slightly under Aomine's intense stare. "But he's always complaining about being tired and not wanting to go to practice. And he didn't seem to be happy that he made it to the first string."

"You can't tell from that! Maybe he's just tired or something. The tryouts yesterday were hard. Give the guy a break."

Aomine looked so convinced that Momoi couldn't help but let the subject drop. "Yeah. Sorry."

"Besides, there's Midorima. He's got the ultimate poker face. If you want someone who didn't seem to be happy, you should've seen him. In fact, he almost looked _unhappy_, believe it or not. I talked to him for a couple of minutes, and he already lost me with all his horoscope stuff." He glanced over at Momoi. "How long have I been a Virgo?"

"You've always been a Virgo."

"You sure? I could've sworn I was a Leo."

"Just because you're unable to count doesn't mean your horoscope changes."

"Hey! I got into this school, didn't I?"

"For your basketball skills. Please don't think you're here because of your academic record."

This looked like it was going to escalate into another argument, so Momoi quickly changed the topic. Arguments with Aomine were never good. Not only was he persistent about winning, he often resorted to illogical arguments that made no sense.

She remembered one time, when they were little, Aomine was accused of breaking a vase. While it was not Aomine's fault, and nearly everyone there knew it, Aomine started spouting utter nonsense that ended up incriminating him for a crime that was not his fault.

She had told him to maybe try controlling his mouth once in a while. He hadn't listened.

"What about Akashi? You haven't mentioned him."

Aomine shrugged. "I don't know much about him. He barely talked. We just said hi and stuff, and then he moved on." Aomine's face suddenly lit up. "But I saw something as I was walking home yesterday. There was a limo parked in front of the school gate. A _limo_. And guess who got in? _Akashi_. Is his family rich or something?"

Momoi supposed they were. She didn't know for sure, but there weren't that many people who shared that exact same surname. "You've never heard of the Akashi group?"

"No? Do they sell basketball equipment or something?"

Momoi sighed. If the two of them hadn't been introduced to each other at such a young age, they probably would've never spoken to each other. He was the exact type of person she disliked; a bit stupid and entirely focused on basketball and nothing else.

She often wondered why she put up with him.

The two of them sat in silence for awhile. This was the first year that they weren't in the same class, so the only time the two of them got to saw each other was during lunch and when they walked home together afterschool. While Momoi didn't want to seem clingy, to suddenly have him not by her side for such long periods of time every day left a rather gaping hole.

"Oi, Satsuki," Aomine said, jolting her out of her thoughts. Momoi looked at him. "Where's that bomb of yours? Give it to me before I change my mind."

Momoi blinked. "Bomb?"

"Yeah." Aomine reached over and plucked the lunchbox from her side. "Listen, it's just this one time, okay? Stop making these and guilt-tripping me into eating them. It can't be healthy for me."

"I didn't guilt-trip you—" Momoi stopped as she watched Aomine open the box, wrinkle his nose in disgust at the charred object that was once supposed to be a potato. Taking a deep breath, he bravely put the object into his mouth.

_Ah. So this was why she put up with him._

"What the hell is this?!" Aomine yelled. Although he didn't spit it out, he looked a bit green in the face. "There's liquid in here!"

"That may or may not be hot sauce."

Aomine's eyes nearly bulged out of his head. "Who the hell puts hot sauce on _anything_?!"

"My mom suggested it—"

"Your mom is the devil!"

He glanced at her, his face turning an interesting shade of purple. It was as if someone had taken a paintbrush and painted over his skin. "If I die, I'm going to come back to haunt you. I'll steal your underwear and all that cool stuff ghosts do. You know those books where a ghost steals a girl's underwear and watches as she cries?"

No, she didn't know. "You wouldn't steal my underwear."

"You're right. That's like stealing from my mom." Aomine wrinkled his nose. "Yuck."

"See, compared to that, eating my lunch isn't that bad, right?" Momoi was doing a very bad job at concealing her smile that showed how much she appreciated the effort that Aomine was putting in to finish something he obviously hated.

"That's debatable. Actually, the underwear sounds more appealing right now. _Is this peanut butter?!_"

Nevertheless, despite his endless whining, he finished the lunchbox of doom before the lunch bell rang, symbolizing that classes were beginning. With a hand over his mouth, he sprinted full speed towards the bathroom.

Momoi watched as he ran down the hallway and made a sharp right turn, nearly crashing into three people. Sighing, she turned around and headed towards her class with an empty lunchbox in her arms, unable to keep the grin off of her face.

This was going to be a good year.

* * *

Still in the introduction stage, so might be a little boring. Just a heads up: this whole thing won't always be in Kuroko's point of view (like the last scene) because if you want to read everything from Kuroko's point of view, I'd recommend you just to go read the Teiko arc against (and cry with me).


End file.
